Jhala Nath Khanal has been elected Chair of CPN (UML) by the eighth General Convention of the party organised in Butwal from February 16.

CPN (UML) leader Jhal Nath Khanal.
Khanal defeated Oli by a difference of more than 100 votes. Khanal secured 913 votes, while his opponent Oli secured 796 votes.

Likewise, Ishwar Pokhrel won the contest for General Secretary with 935 votes. His opponent Pradip Nepal secured 732 votes.

Ashok Rai, Bamdev Gautam and Bidhya Bhandari have been elected to the post of Vice-Chairpersons. Rai, Gautam and Bhandari secured 1199, 865 and 851 votes respectively. The other three contestants for the post Bhim Rawal, Sahana Pradhan and Bharat Mohan Adhikari secured 722, 618 and 600 votes respectively.

Bishnu Poudel, Shanker Pokhrel and Yubaraj Gyawali have been elected to the post of Secretary. Poudel, Pokhrel and Gyawali secured 1262, 1058 and 835 votes respectively. The defeated candidates Rajendra Shrestha, Raghubir Mahaseth and Ram Chandra Jha secured 672, 656 and 485 votes respectively.

The election for eight key positions along with 111 Central Committee Members and two central commissions was held on Sunday after the attempt of leaders and party cadres to create a consensus for leadership failed.

The results for the election of Central Committee (CC) members has also been partly announced. The election for CC members was conducted as open contest, zonal and reserved quotas.

The candidates who have been elected CC members from the zonal contest are Naresh Kharel from Mechi (770 votes), Rajendra Gautam from Koshi (783 votes), Jagannath Khatiwada from Sagarmatha (905 votes), Keshab Prasad Devkota from Janakpur (658 votes), Devi Prasad Gyawali from Narayani (782 votes), Pashupati Chaulagain from Bagmati (868 votes), Yogesh Bhattarai from Kathmandu valley, Ganesh Timilsina from Dhaulagiri, Khaga Raj Adhikari from Gandaki, Prakash Jwala from Rapti, Deb Raj Bhar from Bheri, Dilli Bahadur Mahat from Karnali, Bhanu Bhakta Joshi from Seti and Jhillu Prasad Tiwari from Nepali diaspora in India.

Earlier, Netra Panthi and Urba Dutta Panta had been elected unopposed from Lumbini and Mahakali zones respectively.

Likewise, Ajambar Kambang, Kamal Prasad Sunuwar, Gokul Gharti Magar, Jiwan Ram Shrestha, Baidhya Nath Chaudhari Tharu and Bisham Lal Adhikari Danuwar have been elected alternate CC members from the aboriginal and ethnic communities quota.

Thakur Gaire has been elected alternate CC member from open contest.

Lalit Kumar Basnet had been elected full member and Chuda Mani Jungali has been elected alternate member from the reserved quota for peasants.

The results for the remaining seats is expected to be announced on Wednesday.

This is the first time UML leadership has been selected by election. The party had a history of choosing leadership by consensus.

The UML adopted a multi-post leadership with an executive Chairman for the first time in its history.

The amendment to the party statute endorsed by the General Convention has provision for a Chairman, three Vice-Chairmen, a General Secretary and three Secretaries.

The provision to elect the key positions of the Central Committee directly from the general convention was incorporated to the statute as proposed by Yubraj Gyawali through his supplementary paper.

Earlier the party had a ceremonial Chairman. However, the post had remained vacant ever since the death of erstwhile Party Chairman Man Mohan Adhikari on April 26, 1999. nepalnews.com ta Feb 25 09

CPN (UML) leader Jhal Nath Khanal.
A day after emerging victorious from the eighth general Convention of CPN (UML), newly elected chairman Jhala Nath Khanal on Wednesday said his first priority is to form a government of national consensus. He also said that he will try to include Nepali Congress (NC) in the coalition government to go about this task.

Speaking at a press conference organized by Rupandehi district chapter of Press Chautari in Butwal, Khanal said UML will from now on play a proactive role in enhancing consensus, cooperation and unity among the political parties while at the same time vowing to protect the party from being overtly influenced by the “ultra leftists and rightists” party.

By ultra leftists he was clearly referring to the Maoists and by rightists he was referring to NC.

Khanal denied rumours about UML being involved in ploys to topple the current government and said the need now is not a change in government but unity among the political forces “for stability and peace” in the country.

Khanal said the eighth general convention of the party has strengthened UML’s democratic values and that the party will give continuity to it in the future.

He also compared the overwhelming victory of the Maoists in the constituent assembly election to “a flood in mountain rivers that dries up shortly”.

CPN (UML) is not a centrist party but a revolutionary one and has always played an influential role in the country’s politics, Khanal added. nepalnews.com ia/ag Feb 25 09

Former King Gyanendra Shah left for the Indian capital New Delhi on Wednesday to attend the wedding ceremony of his cousin.

Former King Gyanendra Shah at Tribhuvan International Airport before leaving for India to attend a family wedding on Wednesday, February 25, 2009. nepalnews.com/NPA

Former King Gyanendra Shah at Tribhuvan International Airport before…
Reports say that Shah along with his wife – former queen Komal Shah – including other relatives took a regular Jet Airways flight to New Delhi at 3:45 pm.

From New Delhi the former royal couple are to head to Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh state where the marriage ceremony is taking place.

This is the first foreign trip by the former King as an ordinary citizen since the abolition of monarchy from Nepal nine months ago.

A daughter of Late King Tribhuwan was married off to the royal family in Madhya Pradesh. Her son’s wedding is taking place in Bhopal.

Reports also say that the request made by the former king for a diplomatic passport for the trip was flatly rejected by the government. nepalnews.com Feb 25 09

The latest update has shown that Jhala Nath Khanal is ahead of KP Sharma Oli in the contest for party Chairman at the general convention of CPN (UML) in Butwal.

Oli has secured 530 votes while Khanal has secured 572 votes according to the latest update. The counting is still on.

For the post of General Secretary Ishwar Pokhrel has secured 576 votes, 50 votes more than Pradip Nepal.

The party has not disclosed the updates officially for a long time. The updates are taken from party leaders informally.

For the post of Vice-chairmen Ashok Rai has secured 681 votes, Bhim Rawal 438, Bidhya Bhandari 500, Bamdev Gautam 472, Bharat Mohan Adhikari 316 and Sahana Pradhan has secured 338 votes.

For the post of secretary Bishnu Poudel has led with 742 votes, Shanker Pokhrel has secured 640, Pradip Gyawali 471, Raghubir Mahaseth 430 and Rajendra Shrestha has secured 385 votes. nepalnews.com Feb 23 09

In what can be deemed as a significant move, the Supreme Court (SC) on Sunday issued an interim order to the Defense Ministry and the Nepal Army to halt the process of inducting new personnel in the army.

In a response to the writ petition filed by INHURED International against the process of new recruitment drive unleashed by the NA, a single bench of the SC headed by Justice Anup Raj Sharma ordered immediate halt to the new induction till Feb 28.

While issuing its order, the court has stated that it will conduct further hearing to substantiate whether the process violates the spirit of the peace process and the interim constitution.

The Army Headquarters and the Defense Ministry have long been locking horns over the recruitment of some 2,884 personnel in NA. The NA top brass has been defending the recruitment drive as a regular process which does not go against the basic tenets of the peace process and the interim constitution whereas the Defense Ministry has termed the drive as something which infringed upon both of them. nepalnews.com nd Feb 22 09

Even as leaders and party workers have been striving for a consensus, the possibility of elections for leadership in CPN (UML) has increased after Thursday’s late night meeting of the party top brass ended without any conclusion.

Erstwhile general secretary Jhala Nath Khanal and party leader KP Oli are likely to contest for the post of chairman after they failed to agree on any of the options proposed in a series of meetings yesterday.

The first of the three options proposed was to make Madhav Kumar Nepal a ceremonial chairman and divide the posts of vice-chairman and general secretary with more executive power between Oli and Khanal. Although, Oli was flexible on this option, Khanal refused.

Nepal himself proposed the second option – to choose Oli for the post of general secretary unanimously. Khanal again refused.

The third option proposed by Bam Dev Gautam was to make Khanal the unanimous chairman. After Nepal and Oli refused this proposal, Khanal announced that he would rather go for election.

With this development, the chance of contest between Oli and Khanal for the post of chairman is increasing. This will open avenue for tier II leaders like Pradip Nepal, Ishwar Pokhrel and Pradeep Gyawali to contest for the post of general secretary. Nepal has already said he will not contest the election if a consensus is not reached.

Meanwhile, various district level and central level leaders have started lobbying for the candidature for central committee member. The issues of social inclusion and representation of youths and new faces in the central committee is getting priority at the general convention. nepalnews.com ta Feb 20 09

M.Paul Friedberg

M.Paul Friedberg
(courtesy www.mpfp.com)
M. Paul Friedberg, 73, is an internationally renowned landscape architect based in New York. A fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects, Friedberg has also made his mark as a scholar, educator, and writer. He has been on the faculty of Columbia University, the New School for Social Research, as well as guest lecturer at numerous colleges throughout the United States and Canada. He has also authored four books on landscape design.

Recipient of more than 100 prestigious awards in recognition for his exemplary performance over the last five decades, at present he is the director of the Urban Landscape Architecture Program at City College of New York and founding partner for M. Paul Friedberg and Partners. He was recently in Kathmandu to oversee the design aspects of Clean Developers promoted Central Park Premium Apartment project – the first residential complex that has created a new benchmark in real estate development in Nepal by incorporating landscape design, among the range of facilities and features it offers. In an interview with Anand Gurung of Nepalnews.com, Friedberg talked about how he entered into this field all by chance, the development of landscape design over the years, its changing roles and its importance in modern day urban living. Excerpts:

To start with, tell us how did you start your career as a landscape architect?

I was born in 1931, at the beginning of the depression in America’s fourth largest city, Brooklyn and later moved to a small town near New York where I grew up and got my early education. After receiving my Bachelor of Sciences from Cornell University in 1954, I was expected to pursue a career in the field of ornamental horticulture, as it was what I majored in. However, as fate would have it, I instead headed for New York, and where unable to pursue a career in the field of horticulture, I found my way into a Landscape Architecture office seeking employment. So, although I was not actually a landscape architect, I started my career in the field through sheer drive than skill. You can say it was all by accident that I got into this field.

One of Friedberg’s exquisite landscape design

One of Friedberg’s exquisite landscape design
When I started work no body in the city had a clear idea what landscape architecture was. They basically though that it was a profession that primarily designed gardens and parks. In the beginning of my career I did site plans and designed playgrounds for low-income public housing authorities in New York. There were virtually no amenities to speak of in those public housing blocks, every detail was dictated by the institutional rules of the housing authorities. This was because the people who lived in those building couldn’t afford it and the attitude of the developers was to just house these people in the least possible cost. In the name of amenities, all that the people living there had were strips of land which were called playgrounds. But that too were strictly uniform. There were fences to protect the green area and if you even accidentally tread in it you ran the risk of being literally kicked out from your residential block. At some point a housing authority awarded me and my architecture team a grant to re-do these dull spaces in a public housing. They just provided the money and didn’t interfere with our design. So we were free to come up with interesting layouts and designs to make the playground notable. We installed an ampi-theatre in it, and included various other amenities so at the end the result was the country’s first adventure playground. As against conventional practices, we basically came up with a design with the people in our mind. So it was a reversal of attitude, sort of conceptual reassessment of what urban spaces should be. The time was right for creative approaches as standard project designs of that time were facing increasing criticism.

So this was how the concept of landscape or urban design caught among the planners?

The recent awareness of environmental problems has also led to growing interest in the field of landscape design. Similarly, landscape architecture now also tends to be taken as a marketing tool for high-end residential projects.
Yes, we were able to convey the message that landscape design is not just associated with mere design of a garden or parks, but overall design of an environment complete with structures. The main aim is to design a space not only for enjoyment, rest and relaxation, but which, at the same time, makes people reconsider their inner selves and makes them feel mentally composed. The recent awareness of environmental problems has also led to growing interest in the field of landscape design. Similarly, landscape architecture now also tends to be taken as a marketing tool for high-end residential projects. Developers are keen to build exquisite residential complexes to attract more people to buy it, and landscape architecture has made that possible. What this shows is that landscape design is no longer an adjunct of architecture or architectural design, but that the two form an integral whole.

Tell us, what kind of projects have you undertaken till now?

My firm — M.Paul Friedberg and Partners — has extensive experience in interdisciplinary landscape architecture, urban design and planning in many countries. The quality of services it provides has been acknowledged worldwide with over hundred professional awards. Over the years our work has become increasingly diverse, which include range of services from planning, programming, designing, engineering and construction supervision of commercial-institutional facilities, parks and play environments, plazas, malls and new residential communities. During the past several years the firm has expanded its domestic and international work to include projects in many major cities in the U.S including, Israel, Brazil, Pakistan, India, Turkey, Hong Kong and Japan.

Now that you are working on a new residential project in Kathmandu, can you tell us what would your major focus be?

I am here to oversee the design aspects of Central Park, a luxury green residential apartment project being undertaken by Clean Developers Pvt Ltd. I would be assisting ARCOP , the principal architects for the project, chiefly as a conceptual designer for the over 70 percent of open space the residential complex offers. My aim is to design open spaces that will offer an elegant lifestyle for the people living in Central Park; to make this complex work for them.

The developer wants my design to help them create a green living and also market the residential complex. Well, that’s my responsibility too and I will think in those lines. I think that a good design should be a marketable design, and vice versa and I would strive for, using a variety of techniques, to create beautiful spaces for the people living in Central Park.

The main idea behind Central Park is to create an urban environment that enriches the people living there. Although it would not be at par with other international projects I have undertaken, since the canvas is too small, but it would certainly be a good project and it would be good for what its intent is. We would create a benchmark in real estate development in Nepal with strict adherence to quality.

You were here in Kathmandu back 40 years ago also. Tell us, what kind of changes have you found in the city now from what it was in those days?

I was simply fascinated when I first came here. The mountain were simply breathtaking. It was the end of the 60s. Kathmandu was among few places around the world where people came because they were allowed to be free and do everything they wanted to do.

I don’t think I want to be that negative as to call Kathmandu an urban disaster, but the city sure needs help. I think it needs to build on its own splendid tradition, rich history and culture.
The first thing about the city that truly set it apart was the number of beautiful squares it was given to. You see, in the west the plazas are just open spaces. But here, it was interesting to me to see an open space that was furnished with splendid temples, rich in both history, architecture and workmanship. This was totally different from western concept of open spaces, and I found it very intriguing.

Similarly, the intensity of life was no where near from what it appears to be now. What do I see now? I think the quality of life seems to have changed. Somehow it was richer back then. There weren’t this many vehicles in the streets, and there were no pollution and smog. It was much quieter then and it had the sort of an exotic quality of that time. It was also less commercialized from what it is today. Although much has changed, Kathmandu is still an intense place to be. It is simply fascinating to see the wonderful people of this city and their way of life. I must say the city has its own beauty, in its own uniqueness and specialty.

Would you say that Kathmandu has become a nightmare, an urban disaster?

The first time I was here I felt Kathmandu was an expanded village, a small town. Now it has become a huge city. I don’t think I want to be so negative as to call Kathmandu an urban disaster, but the city sure needs help. I think it needs to build on its own splendid tradition, rich history and culture. The city’s architecture needs to be raised, more parks and open spaces needs to be built so that it dignifies, exalts the people living in it.

I don’t think I saw any open space in the city. The city should be a series of streets, spaces and parks. They make the city worth living because they enrich the life of people who live in it. But here everything is linear. However, the most interesting part of the city is the people who live in it. They should try to elevate themselves by re-building this city. You are what you build, and you build what you are. So the responsibility falls on the shoulder of the people who live in Kathmandu. Its high time the city authorities get on a public private partnership mode to develop public places — something like the Garden of Dreams at Thamel. The people of Kathmandu should take up the matter in their own hands and give the city a new lease of life. nepalnews.com Feb 19 09

Nepal Army displayed excellent game to thrash visiting Sahara UK FC 4-0 to enter the finals of the 7th Aaha Gold Cup Football tournament in Pokhara.

Sahara UK FC was rigid till the 40th minute of the first half but then Army scored the first goal through Santosh Nepali and added another two minutes later to make score 2-0 till half time.

Shiva Chowdhary supplied the pin-point cross in the Sahara D-Box where Santosh Nepali was off-mark and scored through header. The score was doubled two minutes later when Raju Tamang’s low shot kissed the net after Sahara UK FC goalie Dilip Chhetri couldn’t handle the ball properly.

Right after the break, Sahara returned strongly with two breathtaking attempts but failed to capitalise. Bahar Laxamba was unfortunate to score in a one-on-one situation with the Army goalie Bikash Malla. In the 55th minute, Sahara UK FC Kunjan Gurung was brought down in the D-box but Gurung himself wasted the spot kick when goalie Malla dived to the right direction to save the ball.

Bikarna Shrestha utilized the counter attack in the 75th minute and extended the tally to 3-0 utilizing the pass off Mahendra Khawas. Army completed the rout in the 89th minute when super sub Chakra Tamang scored the fourth goal. nepalnews.com bt Feb 05 09

The government Thursday decided to promulgate three ordinances even as the main opposition Nepali Congress has strongly opposed it.

A cabinet meeting held this evening decided to introduce the ordinances. Agriculture minister JP Gupta said the ordinances are related to involuntary disappearances, social inclusion and the voter list.

Earlier, three consecutive cabinet meetings were postponed owing to differences between the ruling allies.

During a meeting yesterday Nepali Congress leaders had suggested the Prime Minister not to introduce the ordinances as the move would undermine the parliament. Nevertheless, Dahal reiterated the government’s resolve to go ahead with the ordinances and sought NC’s support. nepalnews.com mk Feb 05 09

The Army Integration Special Committee (AISC) has decided to discharge Maoist combatants, who were disqualified by the United Nations Mission in Nepal (UNMIN) during the verification process, from the cantonments and start their rehabilitation process at the earliest.

A meeting of the AISC, which is headed by the Prime Minister, on Thursday decided to rehabilitate the combatants to their communities before the army integration process begins. AIS members from the Nepali Congress had tabled a proposed for early rehabilitation of the disqualified combatants.

According to Nepali Congress leader Dr Ram Saran Mahat, an AISC member, the government will be asked to introduce a rehabilitation package for such combatants.

Other AISC members – defence minister Ram Bahadur Thapa, Jaya Prakash Prasad Gupta (agricultural minister) and Mohammad Hamibullah of Madhesi Janadhikar Forum, Bhim Rawal of CPN (UML) and NC’s Mindrendra Rijal – were present at the meeting chaired by Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal.

The AISC has appointed government’s chief secretary Bhoj Raj Pokharel as its spokesperson. At the meeting, the members are known to have agreed not to speak publicly about the decisions and the works undertaken by the committee and that all information would be provided to the press through the spokespersons.

Today’s meeting was expected to endorse the terms of reference of the AISC, but none of the members were willing to speak on the matter. nepalnews.com mk/ia Feb 05 09